President Donald Trump is weighing options that could include deploying special operations forces into Iran to secure or destroy highly enriched uranium stockpiles as part of his pledge that Tehran “will not have a nuclear bomb,” according to multiple reports Saturday.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump suggested the possibility of a ground operation had not been ruled out, saying U.S. forces could move in at a later stage of the conflict if necessary. “Right now we’re just decimating them, but we haven’t gone after it,” Trump said, referring to Iran’s nuclear material. “But something we could do later on. We wouldn’t do it now.”
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Axios reported Saturday that U.S. and Israeli officials have discussed sending special operations forces into Iran to secure the regime’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium once Tehran’s military capabilities are sufficiently degraded.
The outlet reported that Iran possesses roughly 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, material that could potentially be converted to weapons-grade fuel within weeks.
According to the report, officials have debated whether the material would be physically removed from Iran or diluted on site by nuclear specialists working alongside special operations units, possibly including scientists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted at the challenge earlier this week during a congressional briefing when asked if Iran’s uranium would be secured.
“People are going to have to go and get it,” Rubio said, without specifying which country’s forces might carry out such a mission.
A U.S. official told Axios the operational questions remain complex, including determining the precise location of the uranium and how troops would safely reach and secure it.
“The first question is, where is it?” the official said. “The second question is, how do we get to it and how do we get physical control?”
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Semafor reported Friday that the possibility of a special operations raid on Iranian nuclear facilities has long been studied by the U.S. military and Israel, including plans developed by U.S. Central Command for potential commando operations targeting sites such as Isfahan.
The outlet reported that elite units such as the Army’s Delta Force train for so-called “counter-WMD missions” designed to locate and secure nuclear material or related infrastructure.
Jonathan Hackett, a former Marine Corps interrogator and special operations specialist, told Semafor such missions involve seizing “loose nukes” or fissile material directly from hostile territory.
“They practice that. They’re proficient at that,” Hackett said, describing the type of operation that could theoretically be deployed against Iranian nuclear facilities.
Semafor also reported that earlier versions of similar plans were discussed during the Obama administration, when Israeli officials proposed sending commandos to nuclear sites including Isfahan, Fordow, and Qom — proposals that U.S. officials at the time reportedly dismissed as too risky.
The renewed focus on Iran’s uranium stockpile comes as American intelligence agencies warn that Tehran may still be able to retrieve highly enriched uranium buried beneath nuclear facilities struck during last year’s U.S.–Israeli air campaign.
The New York Times reported Saturday that intelligence assessments indicate Iran could potentially access uranium entombed beneath the Isfahan nuclear complex through a narrow opening, raising concerns about how quickly the material could be recovered or moved.
Officials told the newspaper that U.S. intelligence agencies maintain constant surveillance of the site and believe they would detect any attempt by Iran to retrieve the material.
The uranium stockpile is considered a key component in any potential Iranian nuclear weapon, making its fate a central issue for U.S. military planners as the war continues.
American officials say most of the enriched uranium is believed to be stored in underground tunnels at Isfahan, with smaller quantities located at facilities in Fordow and Natanz.
The Times reported that although the sites were struck during the previous air campaign, the United States did not attempt to retrieve the uranium at the time because doing so was deemed too dangerous.
Any commando raid would carry substantial risk, officials said, and would likely require the ongoing air campaign to further degrade Iran’s remaining defenses before troops could be deployed.
Trump acknowledged those risks Saturday, indicating that any such operation would only occur once Iranian forces were sufficiently weakened.
“I would say if we ever did that, they would be so decimated that they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level,” Trump said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios the president has deliberately kept all military options available.
“President Trump wisely keeps all options available to him open and does not rule things out,” Leavitt said.
Officials say the ultimate objective remains preventing Tehran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon — a goal Trump has repeatedly framed as central to the U.S. campaign against Iran.
How that outcome is ultimately secured — whether by seizing the uranium, destroying it, or compelling its surrender by whatever authority emerges in Tehran — remains an open question as the war enters its second week.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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